Discovery of an old nova shell surrounding the cataclysmic variable V1315 Aql. Issue 4 (18th April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sahman, D I; Dhillon, V S; Littlefair, S P; Hallinan, G
• Is Part Of: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Volume 477:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 4483
• Page End: 4490
• Publication Date: 2018-04-18
• Subjects: novae, cataclysmic variables -- stars:individual:V1315 Aql; Astronomy -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 520.5
• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/sty950
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0035-8711

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Following our tentative discovery of a faint shell around V1315 Aql reported in Sahman et al., we undertook deep Hα imaging and intermediate-resolution spectroscopy of the shell. We find that the shell has its geometric centre located on V1315 Aql. The mass, spectral features, and density of the shell are consistent with other nova shells, rather than planetary nebulae or supernova remnants. The radial velocity of the shell is consistent with the systemic velocity of V1315 Aql. We believe this evidence strongly suggests that the shell originates from an earlier nova event. This is the first nova shell discovered around a nova-like and supports the theory of nova-induced cycles in mass transfer rates (hibernation theory) first proposed by Shara et al.